Questions over possible Aadhaar misuse resurface amid mixed messaging from UIDAI

Experts and advocacy groups have been pointing to several possible misuses of Aadhaar, a charge unrelentingly denied by the authorities.

Amid mixed messaging caused by a retracted advisory by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), entombed questions around possible misuse of Aadhar data are surfacing once again.

The UIDAI earlier last week, advised people against sharing photocopies of their Aadhaar suspecting misuse and asked them to use a ‘masked’ version of the identity which only displays the last 4 digits of their Aadhaar numbers.

The statutory body functioning under the union Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) later withdrew the press release on Sunday and advised citizens “to exercise normal prudence in using and sharing their UIDAI Aadhaar numbers”.

The UIDAI maintains that mere disclosure of the Aadhaar number is not enough for a person to commit fraud.

“Just like by merely knowing your bank account number, one cannot withdraw money from your account. Similarly, by merely knowing your Aadhaar number, no one can withdraw money from an Aadhaar-linked bank account”, a statement under the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the UIDAI website reads.

Also Read: | What is Masked Aadhaar? Here’s how to download your copy

The government body further asserts that “no Aadhaar holder has suffered any financial or other loss or identity theft on account of any said misuse or attempted impersonation of Aadhaar”.